One of the mistakes The most common food safety hazard we commit in the kitchen occurs around the sink. As much as we wash the dishes as soon as we use them and thoroughly scrub all surfaces, we could be spreading bacteria and other microorganisms without realizing it. It’s the fault of the scourer.
The trick of heating the sponge in the microwave may help us during the first few days of use to clean it and remove some of the bacterial contamination, but it will never completely sterilize it. The disinfection It will only be effective if we boil scouring pads and cloths for five minutes, or if we submerge them in water with bleach for ten minutes (one tablespoon of bleach for every liter of water). And, in any case, if we use them daily we have no choice but to renew them every week.
How to clean the microwave in 5 min.
They insist a lot on it food safety experts such as Beatriz Robles or Mario Sanchez: the scourer can accumulate hundreds of microorganisms invisible to the eye, many more than the bathroom toilet, including dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella. When we clean with a contaminated scourer, we only manage to spread these microorganisms everywhere.
Therefore, to reduce the risks, there is a better alternative: throw away forever the scourer and not look back. And what to use instead? Very easy: a brush.
The dishwasher brushes they are much more hygienic and safe. The composition itself and the materials of the scourers, cloths and rags favor the accumulation of humidity, heat and dirt, take much longer to dry and are thus a perfect nest for the development of bacteria. Brushes, on the contrary, are more easily washed after use and they dry much faster, as recent studies have shown.
This does not mean that it is not necessary to disinfect them regularly, and change them after a frequent use, but we will be considerably reducing the risks of contaminating the dishes, the sink and the kitchen surfaces themselves. Prevention is better than cure.
Rayen – Kitchen Brush, Color Blue, Measurements: 27 x 6 x 3.8 cm
OXO Good Grips Brush with soap dispenser for scrubbing dishes, pans and pots
Photo | user3802032
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